Humidifying apparatus



April 1941- I J. c. HORNUNG 2,239,444

HUMIDIFYING'APPARATUS Filed Sept. 8, 1939 INVENTOR:

JOHN C. HORNUNG- Patented Apr. 22, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HUMIDIFYIN G APPARATUS John G. Hornung, Glencoe, IlL, assignor to Illinois Engineering Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois 3 Claims.

This invention relates to Humidifying apparatus, and has for one of its objects the provision of such apparatusconstructed and arranged so that what is ordinarily considered waste heat passing through the smoke flue of a furnace will serve as the source of heat for efiecting the vaporizing operation of the apparatus.

Another object is to provide such apparatus as mentioned capable of causing the vapor or steam created thereby to be superheated by the heat within the smoke flue of the furnace so that the humidifying operation thereof may be expedited.

Another object is to provide such apparatus as outlined that will be simple in construction; that will not be liable to get out of order; and that will be highly responsive to the heat within the smoke flue of the furnace so that the apparatus may be rendered most efficient in operation.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent by reference to the specification and the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of the humidifying apparatus of the invention as applied to the smoke flue of a furnace.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on the section line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

While the drawing illustrates only one form of the invention, it is to be understood that variations, additions or alterations may be made, or parts substituted for parts shown without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

The form of the invention illustrated includes a water-heating head or vessel A arranged within the smoke flue I of a furnace 2. The vessel A comprises a vaporizing chamber 3 below which is arranged a manifold 4 which is in water-circulating communication with the chamber by means of a series of laterally spaced U-shaped water-heating coils 5. The coils 5 are formed of small-sized tubing and are arranged so that their upper and lower leg portions 6 and 1 extend toward the furnace from the sides of the chamber 3 and manifold 4 respectively. Connected with the top of the vaporizing chamber 3 and extending upward through the wall of the smoke flue is a vapor conduit or pipe 8 whose r top end is provided with a distributor head 9. The distributor head is in the form of a horizontally disposed circular chamber having a plurality of small apertures I0 spaced about its side wall for the escape of vapor or steam created in the chamber 3. A water-circulating conduit or pipe I I is connected between the bottom of the vaporizing chamber 3 and the top of the manifold 4 to enable water to circulate in the vessel, as will be hereinafter more fully explained. 7

Means is provided for maintaining a supply of water in the vaporizing chamber 3 and the ing communication with the vessel A by means of a conduit or pipe I4 which continues from the bottom of the tank through the wall of the smoke flue to a connection with the bottom of the manifold 4. Water is supplied to the tank l2 from the usual source of water of the dwelling or residence in which the furnace is employed, by means of a supply conduit or pipe I5 which extends into the tank. At the end of the pipe I5 in the tank is provided an ordinary well known float-controlled valve I6 so arranged to maintain the supply of water in the tank at a level that will maintain the level of the water in the vessel at that desired.

For draining the vessel and the tank when it is desired to clean the apparatus, or for making repairs, a drain valve Il may be provided in the conduit I4, and a shut-off valve I8 may be provided in the supply pipe I5.

The operation of the organization of elements so far described will now be explained.

As the vessel A is heated by the hot gases passing through the smoke flue, when the furnace is functioning, the vapor orsteam created in the vaporizing chamber 3 as the water in the vessel is heated will be superheated before it is exhausted from the distributor head 9 for the reason that the vaporizing chamber and at least a portion of the vapor conduit 8 are disposed Within the smoke flue in direct contact with the heat therein. Thus, as superheated vapor or steam iscapable of rising faster and to a greater extent than saturated steam, the distributor head may be situated within the furnace room or basement of the dwelling with the assurance that the steam which escapes from the head will readily circulate upward to the upper compartments of the dwelling and properly maintain the desired percentage of moisture in the air there- The chamber 3, manifold 4, circulating pipe II and. the coils 5 are so proportioned that the water in the coils will always be hotter than the water in the manifold and pipe I I, whereby the water will circulate from the coils into the chamber 3, through the pipe ll, manifold 4 and then back into the coils when the water in the coils expands to such an extent that it will flow into the chamber. To this end, the coils are longer than the pipe whose diameter may be the same as that of the coils.

The invention also contemplates the provision of means for controlling the operation of the apparatus so far described in maintaining the proper amount of moisture in the air of the compartments of the dwelling. To this end, in the supply conduit I4 is provided a throttling valve |9 which is operated by a reversing motor whose circuits are controlled by a humidostat 2|, or a number of same, which may be located in the upper compartment or compartments of the dwelling.

The valve l3 is of the needle type and includes a threaded valve operating stem 22 operating in a threaded bearing 23 of the valve housing for increasing and decreasing the area of the valve orifice when rotated in opposite directions respectively by the motor 23.

The motor 23 is connected with the valve stem 22 by means of speed-reducing gearing including a large spur gear 24 on the stem which meshes with an elongated pinion 25 secured on the motor shaft 26. The motor derives its energy from the power lines C by means of a conductor 21 which connects the neutral terminal 23 of the motor with one side of the lines, with the other side of the power lines being connected to the right and left hand sides of the motor through intermediation of the humidostat 2|.

The humidosta-t includes a continuously rotating shaft 29 on which is a contactor arm 33 which is in circuit connection with the other side of the power lines C through a conductor 3| having a terminal 32 engaging the end of the shaft. Arranged at opposite sides of the shaft 29 are contacts 33 and 34, respectively, which are in the form of parallel spring strips bent to provide tapered portions 35 and 36 respectively arranged to extend into the path of the rota-ting contactor arm so as to be alternately engaged thereby. The contacts 33 and 34 are in circuit connection with the right and left hand terminals 3! and 33 of the motor, respectively, by means of the conductors 39 and 43. Thus, as the rotating contactor arm 30 engages the contacts 33 and 34 alternately, the left and right hand sides of the motor 20 will be alternately energized to cause the valve to respectively decrease and increase the area of the valve orifice alternately.

The contacts 33 and 34 are supported upon a suitably insulated portion of an arm 4| of an oscillating shaft 4|a which is operated by suitable humidity responsive means to shift the contacts toward and away from the path of the rotating contactor arm respectively in accordance with changes in the percentage of moisture in the air of the compartment from that desired. Therefore, in the event the percentage of moisture in the air of the compartment drops below that desired, which should be about 40 percent, the arm 4| will be shifted to the left the proper amount by the humidity responsive means to increase and decrease respectively the extent to which the tapered contact portions and 35 extend into the path of the rotating contactor arm 3!], whereby the duration of energization of the right hand side of the motor will be increased to such an extent over the period of energization of the left hand sid of the motor as to cause an integrating movement of the valve in the direction causing a gradual increase in the area of the valve orifice in accordance with the drop in the percentage of moisture in the air from that desired. Said increase in the area of the valve orifice will cause an increase in the amount of water in the vessel that will in turn result in a proper increase in the amount of vapor being created in the vaporizing chamber to maintain the desired percentage of moisture in the air of the compartment of the dwelling. In the event the amount of moisture in the air rises above that desired, it is obvious the opposite result will be had causing a reduction in the amount of water in the vessel in accordance with said rise in percentage of moisture in the air of the compartment, whereby the amount of vapor created in the vaporizing chamber will be accordingly reduced to lower the percentage of moisture in the air to that desired.

A limit switch 42 may be included in each of the conductors 39 and 40, with said switches being opened by the valve stem 22 to open the left and right hand circuits of the motor, respectively, at the limits of movement of the stem causing the valve orifice to be slightly opened and fully opened. Elach switch 42 is of the self-closing type including a resilient switch operating arm 43 arranged to be moved to open position by engagement with a suitable collar 44 on the valve stem as same approaches a limit of its movement.

The humidity responsive means comprises a humidity responsive element 45 in the form of a cord made up of human hair, or the like, having one end secured to a drum 46 mounted upon the shaft 4|a of the arm 4|, and with the cord being wrapped about the drum and having its other end secured to an adjustable anchorage 41. The cord is so arranged with respect to the drum 46, that it will cause rotation of the shaft 4|a in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig.

- 1, to shift the left and right hand motor circuit contacts 33 and 34 away and toward the path of the rotating contactor arm 3!], when the cord contracts under the influence of a decrease in percentage of moisture in the air from normal or that desired. A tension spring 48 is connected between a suitable anchorage and the arm 4| for urging the arm in a clockwise direction, so that when the cord 45 expands under the influence of an increase in percentage of moisture in the air, the contacts 33 and 34 will b moved toward and away from the path of the rotating contactor arm respectively.

Although the rate of rotation of the contacting arm 30 may depend upon the type of dwelling in which the humidifying system is employed, ordinarily the rate of rotation of the arm may be one revolution per minute so as to cause the valve I9 to fluctuate at one minute cycles. For rotating the contactor arm, its shaft 29 is driven by a slow-speed electric power unit including an electric motor 43 connected with the shaft through the intermediation of reducing gearing 50. The motor 49 may derive its energy from the low voltage side of a transformer 5| by way of the conductors 52, with the high voltage side of the transformer being interposed in the power lines C.

By virtue of the integrating operation of the valve |9 as controlled by the humidostat, it will be seen that the valve orifice will always vary in area in direct proportion to variations in percentage of moisture in the air to which the humidostat is responsive, whereupon the amount of water in the vessel will vary below the level of the water in the tank in accordance with the demand of the humidostat, whereby the amount of vapor or steam created in the vaporizing chamber will always be such as to maintain the proper percentage of moisture in the air.

Although the invention permits the arrangement of the distributor head 9 within the furnace room of the ordinary dwelling or residence, for reasons heretofore outlined, the invention also contemplates providing the exhaust conduit 8 with branches that may lead to the various compartments.

The object of arranging the limit switches 42 whereby the valve I9 will never be entirely closed is to maintain at least a minimum amount of water in the coils 5 when the humidostat is responding to an abnormal amount of moisture in the air to eliminate the possibility of the coils being destroyed by intense heat within the smoke flue.

Certain structure herein disclosed relating to the switching means of the humidostat comprises at least part of the subject matter of my Patent No. 2,209,566, of July 30, 1940, for Regulating apparatus.

I claim:

1. In a humidifying system of the class described, the combination with a furnace having a smoke flue, of a water-supplying tank arranged exteriorly of the flue, means for maintaining a predetermined supply of water in the tank, a vaporizing vessel arranged within the flue, vapor distributing means connected thereto, a supplying conduit connected between the tank and vessel to conduct water from the tank to the vessel, a throttling valve in the conduit, humidity responsive means, and means cooperating with the humidity responsive means and valve to cause the valve to vary the amount of water in the vessel ibBlOW the level of the water in the tank during the vaporizing operation in accordance with variations in the percentage of moisture in the air to which the humidity responsive means is responsive.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1, including means for limiting the extent to which the valve will vary the amount of water in the vessel below the level of the water in the tank to prevent destruction of the vessel by heat within the smoke flue.

3. The structure as defined in claim 1, including means for limiting the extent to which the valve will vary the amount of water in the ves- 

